Too Much Heaven

By Pam Pottorff

This is a multi-generational saga of five close friends who face questions about life and mortality with humor, love, and intellect.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Feb 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9781483549750

Book preview

friendship.

Too Much Heaven

Chapter 1

Hey, Einstein, Logan Harris greeted his neighbor, Dr. Chad Wagner, as they both entered the lobby of their fourplex apartment building and headed toward the mailboxes. It had been a long workweek for both men. Since it was Friday afternoon they were eager to make their way to their apartments to relax for the weekend.

Hey, Logan Chad countered back. Rough day at the office? Chad nodded in the direction of Logan’s black, nylon laptop bag, which was slung over his right shoulder.

Yeah, it’s a rough life trying to save the world as we know it through the use of modern technology, Logan chuckled.

Tell me about it, replied Chad.

As both men reached into their mailboxes to retrieve bundles of envelopes, a gazelle-like woman entered the lobby. She greeted Logan with a kiss on the lips and a quick hug around his neck. She was dressed in a sporty denim skirt topped with a plain, white T-shirt. It was her accessories that made her outfit unique. The waist length necklace and bracelet encircling her right wrist were clearly made of elbow macaroni.

I see Logan has dropped a wad of cash on new jewelry for you, Chad commented.

It was teacher appreciation week at school. These are gifts from my students. Check this out, answered the woman as she clasped the bracelet with her left hand and snapped it against her wrist. It’s made from the world’s finest imported elastic. One size fits all.

You gotta love that, Chad replied. Kendra Harris was the only woman he knew that could rock pasta jewelry.

Anything good in the mail? she queried as she grabbed the stack of letters from Logan’s hands and quickly sorted through them. There should be a law against junk mail, she added.

If junk mail is not illegal, it should be. It’s a crime to destroy so many trees, Chad agreed.

As they sorted through their mail, the three friends entered the elevator.

Kendra pushed the second floor button. As the elevator doors closed she glanced at Chad. Hey Doc, are you still coming over Saturday for dinner? I’m trying a new lasagna recipe, and I’m counting on you and Logan to be guinea pigs.

You know me. I would never turn down the chance of being a culinary critic. I’ll be there. How about if I bring a bottle of wine? Chad answered.

Sounds great. Come over about seven, Kendra replied as she twirled the gold wedding ring on her left hand. She glanced at Logan and added, It will be nice to have a conversation over dinner with someone other than my husband. I already know his opinions.

That’s a good thing, Logan replied. My opinions are always right.

Fortunately for him, I find a man with an ego terribly sexy, Kendra said as she grabbed Logan’s hand and kissed him on the cheek.

The three friends laughed as the elevator door opened, and they exited into the second floor hallway. Chad maneuvered his wheelchair to his apartment door. I’ll see you tomorrow at seven, Chad said as he inserted the key into the lock, opened the door, and disappeared into his apartment.

Once in the privacy and solitude of his own home, his mind began to wander. Logan and Kendra Harris were not only his next-door neighbors, but also his best friends. They had become his surrogate family. They knew him as the young doctor who worked long, tireless hours at a research lab, but he was certain that if his two close friends ever found out what he actually did for a living, the name Doctor Frankenstein would be more appropriate rather than the nickname Einstein.

Chapter 2

The nickname Einstein suited Chad Wagner well. He was a child prodigy who had reached developmental milestones such as crawling, walking, and talking long before other children his age. Being an only child meant that he had his parents’ constant love and attention, which propelled his development and learning to even higher levels. Through the efforts of many gifted and talented teachers, Chad flourished in the public educational system. He graduated from high school at the age of fifteen. As a seventeen year old he completed his undergraduate degree. In his early twenties he completed medical school.

Although he excelled academically, his parents were very strategic about maintaining balance in their son’s life. Their home was the neighborhood hot spot for kids to gather and socialize. One reason for this popularity was the Wagner family’s nonjudgmental attitude. His parents felt that Chad had been blessed with extraordinary intellectual gifts. While they wanted him to use his gifts to attain the highest level of his potential, they also wanted him to be accepted by his peers, and by society in general. If that is what they wanted for their son, they felt they should extend that same level of acceptance to whoever entered their lives through the ebb and flow of every day living.

The second reason the Wagner home was a gathering place in the neighborhood was not nearly as complicated. Simply put, Chad’s mother was an incredible baker. The aroma of fresh baked cookies, cupcakes, and brownies beckoned kids to find excuses to visit the Wagner home with the hope they would be offered a sweet treat to savor and enjoy. The home on Fairmont Street was not only inviting emotionally but physically as well. It was truly a place where both mind and body were nourished.

Through the encouragement of friends and family, Chad’s mother found the courage and strength to open a small bakery, which she proudly christened Sandy’s. Initially the thought of naming the place after herself seemed a bit egotistical, but she felt it added a personal touch. After all, it had worked for Mrs. Fields and Sara Lee.

Sandy Wagner poured her heart and soul into the business. Sandy’s grew almost as fast as Chad. She added gourmet coffees and a lunch menu within the first year. Chad spent many happy hours at the bakery, waiting on customers on Saturdays and washing dishes after school.

Chad’s favorite memories were after he and his mother had closed the shop, cleaned, and baked for the next day. The two of them would sit at one of the small tables enjoying whatever confectionary delight had not sold that day. They would talk about anything and everything, from what had happened at school that day to current events, from new recipes to the latest knock-knock jokes. Chad’s definition of happiness was the smell of fresh baked pastries and the sound of his mother’s laugh.

It was during one of these late afternoon mother and son talks that Chad asked the game-changing question.

Mom, why don’t you sell banana bread? You know the kind grandma used to make?

That is considered an old fashioned food. People now days want fancy pastries and decorator cupcakes. They don’t want something as plain and simple as banana bread. Besides, that recipe has been in my family for generations. It’s not for sale. Only family members can have the recipe and pass it on.

Chad, being the constant thinker, replied, First, you wouldn’t be selling the recipe. You’d be selling the bread. The secret of the recipe would be safe. Second, look at what we are eating … apple turnovers and designer cupcakes. This is what didn’t sell today.

I love how you think, his mother responded as she tussled his ebony hair with her fingers.

The free advice from an eight-year old boy proved to be the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Banana bread was added to the selection of baked goods. It was an overnight success and soon became known as Nana’s Bread in honor of Chad’s grandmother, the creator of the delicious treat. The local patrons loved the stuff. They ordered it for breakfast. It became a popular side for lunch, but it was most popular as a dessert with melted chocolate chips and a dollop of fresh whipped cream on top.

By the time Chad was in high school, his mother owned five Sandy’s bakeries in the Minneapolis area. Each of the five bakeries offered the banana bread only one day a week. With this master plan Sandy could travel to each location one day a week with Saturday and Sunday off. She could not only check in with her employees, but she also made the bread herself after each shop closed. The bread was fresh and ready for the next day. This kept the family recipe a secret, and it also created a unique supply and demand situation. To say the bread was popular was an understatement. The demand was overwhelming, and the fact that each store sold the bread one day a week only added fuel to the fire. Of course the demand increased because the supply was limited. It quickly became very chic to buy a loaf of Nana’s Bread.

It was through his mother’s baking business that Chad learned many of life’s important lessons. He had learned about taking risks and believing in himself. He had learned about integrity. If you made a promise, you kept that promise. Even when his mother was offered large sums of